Another politician charged with bribery in corruption-weary Opa-locka
An Opa-locka politician at the center of the FBI’s investigation into City Hall corruption surrendered on a bribery charge Friday, making him the fourth defendant to be prosecuted in the still-widening probe.
Luis Santiago, 55, lost his city commission seat in November after a series of Miami Herald stories reported he was the main target of an alleged extortion scheme involving payoffs for official favors.
News of his arrest spread quickly through Opa-locka, a poor city whose government since June has been under the control of a state oversight board that must approve all spending by the city commission due to a financial emergency. Santiago, perhaps best known around Opa-locka for sponsoring bingo nights and raising money for the city’s Fourth of July celebration, was once an influential member of the commission because of his alliance with Mayor Myra Taylor.
Santiago’s political loss to a reform-minded newcomer, coupled with his arrest in the long-running federal case, has stirred the passions of a community yearning for normalcy after years of corruption and mismanagement at City Hall.
Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/miami-gardens/article123780429.html
